VIRE 7: Chronic power loss
I love my little Vire inboard but I must admit it can be a tad small for the job sometimes, particularly in heavy seas or against a headwind. The Vire also has a bad reputation with some boaters which I think is generally the result of poor maintenance.

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It seems to me that the little marvel demands so little maintenance that owners tend to deprive it of any TLC with the result that it eventually starts to complain. I know it is so with me and this year was no exception. By the fall I could hardly get more than 4.5 Kts, even in the harbour so I resolved to take pity on it. It was that or consider an expensive re-powering job, moving to a diesel.

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I should not have been surprised to find the primary cause of the problem was again, the exhaust system. I say again because this is definitely not the first time I have been here. The culprit is the iron swan's neck pipe, just after the green expansion box. This 1.5" pipe was so restricted by black oily build up that I could barely push a pencil into the hole. It is really quite surprising that the engine would run at all!

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This job should NOT be done on the kitchen table. Put on old clothes and spread lots of newspaper in the garage or workshop. Take the pipe apart, if possible, by unscrewing the straight bit. It will be quite tight but it makes the cleaning out a lot easier. One year I tried to burn it out using a blow-torch. It works but be prepared for copious smoke, fumes and a long, long job.

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I find it best just to poke it out with a screwdriver or any suitable tool and the whole jobs will only take 30 minutes.
This year, I will also take advice I found at the Vire Site, and replace the HT spark plug cable.

Good luck
Andrew